Fancy splashing out on New Year's Eve celebrations this year? Look no further for inspiration ...
There is a lot of pressure on New Year’s Eve to have the time of your life, and many of us spend a lot of time, effort and cash to make sure we see in the New Year in style.
Last year Roman Abramovich held a £5 million bash, to which I was sadly not invited. If you too are unlikely to be on the guest list for a celebrity party, don’t despair. Provided you have unlimited cash, and a desperate desire to fritter it away, you can still have an A-list time this New Year.
UAE
Abramovich booked the Black Eyed Peas to headline his party, but if their music is not to your taste then perhaps you should head out to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This year Coldplay will be welcoming in the New Year, and their performance will also kick-start the gruelling round-the-world yacht race, the Volvo Ocean Race. Concert tickets start from AED 325 (£56), but rise to AED 995 (£173) for die-hard fans who want to be closer to the action.
However, if you really want to splash the cash then a VIP table is for you. Slum it on a ‘Silver Table’ for AED 15,000 (£2,613) with two bottles of spirits and two parking permits chucked in, or go for a ‘Gold Table’ for AED 20,000 (£3,484) including spirits, champagne and three parking passes.
If that’s not good enough book a ‘Platinum Table’ for AED 25,000 (£4,356). For your money you get more booze, more parking permits and closer proximity to the stage.
USA
Miami could be your destination of choice if you fancy taking home a permanent reminder of your trip. A couple of years ago a New York plastic surgeon announced his version of the nation’s 'Most Expensive New Year’s Package'. For only $100,000 (£63,997) you got first class tickets from New York to Miami, three tables at a New Year’s Eve concert featuring Lady Gaga, a choice of Penthouses at various 5* hotels around South Beach and ... a boob job. Perhaps not one for the men! The package also included a 24-hour nurse (no holiday is complete without your own medical professional), unlimited spa treatments and a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce.
This ‘offer’ doesn’t seem to be around this year, so you would have to make do with a luxury party at the Wall Lounge, a nightclub inside the W Southbeach Hotel, Miami. The ‘world famous’ DJ Alesso will be playing, and you can enjoy his music for a mere $903, plus an $82.95 booking fee (totalling around £630!). Alternatively you can book a table for eight, including two bottles of champagne and two bottles of vodka, for only $12,900 plus $1,161.95 booking fee (that totals around £8,993!).
That DJ had better be good.
If Las Vegas is more your scene, you could stay at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Stevie Wonder will be singing in the New Year and it will cost you $2,240 (£1,432) to stay for three nights, including two tickets to the concert and unlimited cocktails. Yippee! It’s a bargain compared to last year when Jay-Z and Coldplay played and commanded a loftier price of around £5,600 (£3,582) for the package.
UK
London is expensive at the best of times, and any big event will see hotels, restaurants and clubs charging a premium. A New Year’s dinner at London’s most expensive restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, will cost you £250 per person, not including tip! For this you get the usual expensive treats such as truffles, scallops, lobster and foie gras – but booze is not included. Grab a celebratory bottle of champagne for a mere £290 or go for a high-end white plonk (Bordeaux ‘Y’ d’Yquem, Lur-Saluces, Bordeaux, France, 1985) for only £590 a bottle.
Afterwards you could take a trip on the London Eye Barracuda. The Art-Deco inspired boat cruises along the River Thames taking in all the sights, while partygoers can dance and drink on the stylish upper and lower decks. Tickets start at £68.40 but prices for New Year’s Eve cruises go up to £199 per person.
Then you will need somewhere to lay your head – at the Langham you could book two nights in its classic suite for just £2,436. Or really splash out and stay in the Terrace Suite at the Dorchester. Rates start from £3,850 a night, but for a stay over the New Year period the quotes are coming in at an unbelievable £7,000 a night!!
Total cost of an excessive New Year’s night out in London for two: £8,488.
Fun doesn’t have to be expensive!
If you’re staying the UK you should make a bee-line for Edinburgh, where they really know how to welcome in the New Year. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Concert in the Gardens is featuring Primal Scream, Bombay Bicycle Club, a torchlight parade and a Midnight Fireworks display, all set beneath the fantastic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. And costs are very reasonable, particularly compared to some of the alternatives above, with tickets priced at between £35 and £40 (plus the ubiquitous booking fee!)
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